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One of my favorite buildings in downtown is The Civic Center.  It was one of my first memories of Asheville when I drove here for the first time over four years ago.  It draws a strong defining line on the city's northern edge created by a dramatic overhang mixing rustic stone and modern poured concrete and glass.  The scale of the stone, cantilevers and the overhang impressively floats off of the hillside balancing the scale and anchored by the entrance positioned further uphill.The Civic Center opened June 22, 1974 with Bob Hope performing.  Architect John Cort drew up the Civic Center plans; he was of the firm Baber & Wood.  An original committee called the "Best for Asheville Committee" organized the plans for the Civic Center and most of the building was paid for by a special bond voted on by the residents of Asheville.Below, these illustrated snapshots were published in the Asheville Citizen in 1971 and give a great description of what the Civic Center was to become.One of modern features of the Civic Center at the time was the facilities "Bargain Basement" as staff writer Peggy Bier described it in 1970.   Here is a portion of her article:"When the circus comes to downtown Asheville, where do you park the elephants?  No, elephant lovers, not in the Jell-o.  You park them in the bargain basement of the proposed new Civic Center, along with the lions, the tigers, the aerialists and everything else that is not performing upstairs in the arena at the time.  The bargain basement is one of the little goodies architects Baber & Wood felt they've put into the design that other civic centers don't have.  Architect John Cort stated it holds the boilers and air conditioners permanently, and would hold air compressors and ice makers temporarily if an ice show came to town.""The bargain part is because it would cost less to rent than the plusher main arena.  It would be the only part of the Civic Center that would not be air conditioned.  The mockup for the center reminds one of that song about bones.  Everything seems to be connected with everything else."This past year the Civic Center went through some extensive renovations on the auditorium.  I was glad to see that they preserved the original design of the exterior.  I know given time more people will come to appreciate the 70's landmark and its place within the urban fabric of downtown Asheville.   Fifty years from now it won't be only the deco style buildings that are admired, but the rich environment woven together from all decades of architecture represented in our downtown.History courtesy of the Downtown Public Library, Article and Photos by Troy Winterrowd

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MLS 470298   $279,0001403 sq/ft. 3 Bedrooms & 2 BathsListed by: Penny Williams This is one of the smartest, efficient and low maintenance infill homes in Asheville.  I have shown this dozens of times and always eager to see it again.  This house sets a new precedent for construction in Asheville.  To view this property or to find out more about the builder feel free to contact me.Here is how Penny describes it, "New custom home - a great neighborhood alternative to an urban condo.  This rustic modern home was inspired by mid-century architecture and natural materials.  The construction incorporates green features through high-quaity materials + innovative building practices.  The interior is light + bright with nine foot ceilings and hardwood floors throughout.  Two large covered outdoor spaces for entertaining.  A certain showpiece for anyone who appreciates modern!" Green Components: Cor Ten Steel Siding for decades of no maintenance, Weatherbond rolled-rubber roofing system, high-efficiency tankless gas hot water heater, 2x6 exterior walls w/R-19 insulation, Kohler dual-flush toilets, no VOC paints, Energy Star appliances, rain barrel water collection and others.

photos courtesy of Penny Williams

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One of the things I feel strongly about is the need for interesting infill housing and mixed use buildings to better serve the residents of our community.  Mark Allison is always exploring these issues.  I was excited to see his design for this duplex/mixed use style dwelling.  As a realtor I have many clients looking for such properties to either lower their initial investment, to share common spaces and/or to gain some return on their investment.  Here is what Mark has to say about his design strategy."Infill housing strengthens the urban core so that we are not forced to use our cars to get from place to place. This 6,500 square foot prototype is shown on a ¼ acre semi-urban lot, but can be adapted for zero lot line situations. The front of the building can house a business or a cafe, enhancing the experience of the street. Automobile and bicycle storage is provided in the rear of the building. The two dwelling units feature open living, dining, and kitchen areas with a powder room on the middle level. Two bedrooms with private baths along with a private porch are located on the top level. Some other green features include solar water heating, rainwater collection, and energy efficient construction."Images courtesy of Mark Allison

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I had the privilege of touring Kimmel Trading's museum worthy collection of 20th century modern furnishings today in their showroom in downtown Asheville.  The curator, Mark Field, is an art and design major and was hired by Joe Kimmel to manage his collection among other things.   Here is how they describe their collection on their website, "The Kimmel Collection has a rock-solid foundation on which to build, the Kimmel Collection offers a point of orientation and discussion in tracking the evolution of Modernism, which, in itself, is difficult to define. The Kimmel Collection exhibit featured wide ranging American, European and Scandinavian fine art and design spanning 100 years from 1885 to 1985."For more information on Kimmel Trading and how to view or purchase from their collection please click here!

Building livable communities through planning and design. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the Asheville Design Center and the great work they do for the community.  More information on them to come in the future.  In the meantime this is how they describe themselves on their website:

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"The Asheville Design Center engages a diverse community of approximately 75,000 Asheville citizens and nearly 1 million Western North Carolina citizens in quality design and planning solutions that promote livable communities. We are dedicated to educating the public about the importance of quality civic design and providing a means for people to work together in developing their communities.

The ADC is located in downtown Asheville where we have meeting, work and exhibit space. We offer a multidisciplinary team of volunteer professionals including architects, planners, landscape architects, urban designers, community advocates, and others to give shape to community visions."

Architecture in the Public Interest:  The Roles of Academia, Prof.  Georgia Bizios. Established in 2004, the Home Environments Design Initiative (HEDI) at NC State’s College of Design initiates, facilitates and coordinates scholarship, research and outreach services in the area of quality design for home environments. HEDI provides a forum for the discussion of housing design issues among academics, professionals and the public. Join us at ADC and be a part of the discussion! Sept. 15 at 6:30pm, Asheville Design Center. Information courtesy of Asheville Design Center

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Article from The Asheville Citizen, Thursday July 28, 1960

Minnichs' Mix Contemporary With Tradional

What kind of house does and architectural engineer build for himself?  The home of S. Clinton Minnich on Sunset Mountain is a fascinating example.  Clint, an engineer, and Tony Lord, architect, two of the Six Associates, worked for a year in their spare time on the plans.  The Minnichs wanted a contemporary design as a background for traditional furniture and wanted to try new materials and new uses of old materials.Marian says that people are beginning to call its location “Rotary Ridge” because so many members of Rotary Club live up there.  From the mail box where one turns off Old Toll onto Bent Tree Road it is half a mile to the house.  A walk at the left of the carport leads to a front door set between floor-deep windows with louvered glass above.  The exterios is stone from Flag Pond, Tenn, and oak siding.  Oak and firpanels on the “town” side are painted Delft blue, yellow, rusty red, black and white above and below aluminum windows.  Marian actually had nightmares worrying about the effects before they were finished.Many things about the house are unusual.  The only conventional ceilings are in the kitchen and bathrooms, the rest are raftered with exposed beams bolted together with large iron bolts at the rooftree.Room dividers separate living and dining areas from the entrance hall and breakfast from the laundry area in the kitchen.  This gives a feeling of height and spaciousness.  It also provides better circulation of air.  The whole place is practically dust-free because of the warm air furnace equipped with an electro-static filter.  Thanks to Clint’s efforts it can be washed out in a few minutes by merely turning a valve.Another feature is the absence of plastered walls.  The whole fireplace end of the living room is stone, another wall is pine stained blue-green-gray and the rest is glass door and windows framing the western expanse of mountains.Pine panels the master bedroom, 13 year-old Ken’s room and the rumpus room and Larry’s immediately below.  All of the oak floors are done with a dull, walnut wax stain instead of shellac.  Washable pink plaid fabric wallpaper and resilient black-streaked vinyl tile floor decorate the bath adjoining the two first floor bedrooms.Great thought has gone into planning the large and workable kitchen.  The overall color scheme is grey and turquoise but cabinet doors are each painted a different color, picking up some of the soft deep tones of exterior panels.  Just think how convenient that would be to identify where something is – such as the salt behind the blue door.The gray slate entrance hall and stairway lead down, beside a red brick wall, to the lower level.  Sliding wood panel folding doors open on a rumpus room with raised brick fireplace and whole wall of bookshelves.  Furnished with studio beds it doubles as a guest room.  To the left is a bath having a stall shower of beautiful red Tennessee marble.  Across the hall is a tiny efficiency kitchen.  When Marian’s parents, Capt and Mrs. K.B. Bragg of Annapolis, MD. Are here they like to get up early and prepare their own breakfast.  Frequently when entertaining Marian bakes a ham or turkey down there.  Of course the refrigerator is stacked with snacks for the teenage boys and their friends.Larry, now 15, hopes to go into medicine, so bookshelves in his room are adjustable for large textbooks in the future.Opposite is what every house should have, a workroom with built-in desk on one wall and huge deep storage shelves for luggage and “junk” on another.  Marian has made heavy draw curtains to conceal them, but mostly they are pulled back.  Her sewing machine stands open in the middle.  A phone with a long cord is accessible to the other rooms by means of a pass through.Not quite visible at lower left of the picture is a door from the rumpus room to the small terrace, one of two and the front walk fromed of gravel heavily mixed with concrete to look like stone.  Above, out of sight, off the master bedroom is a redwood balcony supported by the house beams.Like everyone who has built recently the Minnichs found that costs exceed the budget, necessitating elimination of something.  In their case they amputated a third bedroom on the first floor and workshop for Clint below.  Now they don’t even feel the need of them.Note: Clinton Minnich was an engineer employed by the Six Associates.  The Six Associates were: William Waldo Dodge, Jr., Henry Irvin Gaines, Anthony Lord, William Stewart Rodgers, Erle G. Stillwell, Charles Waddell. Information couresy of Laura Hope-Gill.

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$269,900 3537 sq/ft 3 Bedrooms & 3 1/2 BathsBuilt 1955 Architect: Jim SherrillListed by: Troy Winterrowd

Come and take a look at this great mid-century modern home in the foothills area of North Carolina. All the great architectural lines, bones and details are still here.  Needs some cosmetic and system updating throughout, but has great spaces and flow. Open and spacious Mid-Century Modern home designed by Jim Sherill.  All public rooms flow into each other and the outdoors.  Separated by only 4 steps the bedroom wing offers three bedrooms with his and her baths and dressing room in the master.  Incredible built in storage throughout.  Slate terrace surrounds the private in-ground pool with retractable awning.To view this property's website please Click here!

I just came back from participating in a 3 day seminar in Michigan sponsored by the NEA and the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design called "Your Town".  This seminar of lectures and design charettes was held in the historic landmark "Old Schoolhouse" in the small coastal village of Douglas.  The focus of the seminar is on Walkable Communities.  Walkable Communities address the need to change our focus from a car or vehicle-centric nation, to a human-centric nation in the way we plan communities.  Associated with the current trend in Smart Land Development and addressing such qualities as diverse asaffordable housing, sedentary lifestyles, obesity and the corrosive effects of sprawl (all by-products of our vehicle-centric living) in our society, this well paced and participatory seminar helped a small West Michigan community identify ways in which it could plan to become a healthier and even more attractive place in the future.  The seminar host and co-founder, Dan Burden was on hand to help 50 local stakeholders (planners, the mayor, residents, teachers, and designers) organize into groups - armed with colored sharpies, aerial maps and tracing paper to plan ways in which problem areas in town could be addressed. Dan Burden and his staff's infectious optimism and consensus-building approach to dealing with traffic, access and safety was a refreshing approach.  Long-standing local infrastructure issues, complaints, and missed opportunities were identified through a design process that encouraged (by Dan and his team) looking beyond current and at times archaic ordinances and regulations and to identify potential.  The end goal of this and I am guessing many seminars will be the establishment of a Design Committee of citizens in order to further the discussion established in this Your Town seminar.  Link to Walkable and Livable Communities website: http://www.walklive.org/Article by Nicolaas Wilkens

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I wanted to share this impressive photograph taken by  photographer Stewart Young.  He captured this imagine of the Navitat Welcome Center using a infrared camera.  The center was designed by local architect Mark Allison.